Esmeralda 15: Crisanta: The Brewing Crisis

Crisanta, unable to fully recover from the shock of the controversial emerald earrings, became cautious and queried Esmeralda where she got the earrings on her ears, saying that she was sure the earrings were not hers but belong to someone else.

Fátima incited and warned her daughter, Graciela, not to play the fool during the carnival because Jose Armando has fallen in love with the blind girl. She incited her to go and fight for her love before the village illiterate, blind girl snatches her fiancé from her. Graciela, energized by the fuel of manipulation by Fátima, moved into action and harassed, heckled and mocked Esmeralda from the procession.

Being a lady of noble comportment, Esmeralda was embarrassed and she quietly withdrew from the procession. Rodolfo too rubbed salt into Esmeralda’s emotional injury by humiliating her, asking her to be shoved out of his Casa Grande and that she should never step unto his property again.

José Armando was uncomfortable with and could not stomach Esmeralda’s humiliation; he went to angrily confront Rodolfo and Graciela, telling them that he loves Esmeralda and would not tolerate anybody to humiliate her in his presence. Graciela backed off and apologized with a lame excuse for her strange behaviour. José Armando ignored her excuses.

Humiliated Esmeralda came home weeping. She told Dominga of her awful experience in the hands of Rodolfo and Graciela. She also queried Dominga about the true source and ownership of the emerald earrings, wondering aloud if they belong to the Peñarreals, due to the boldness of Crisanta who demanded from her where she got it from.

Crisanta trembled at the possibility of Esmeralda being the unknown and supposedly ‘dead’ daughter of Lady Blanca and Don Rodolfo Peñarreal, 23 years ago. She knew that a crisis is being brewed for the Peñarreal family if this is true. The coincidence of her name “ESMERALDA” and the Emerald earring was too much. She made up her mind to dig further into the mysterious young blind lady called Esmeralda, she planned to visit Dominga to enquire the truth from her.

When Blanca inquired from Crisanta what she discussed with Esmeralda on the carnival procession, Crisanta could not look straight into Blanca’s eyes, she was fidgety.

Graciela was emotionally torn apart, she wanted to terminate her romantic adventures with Adrián, before it boomeranged on her, but she lacked the courage and will power to do so. Adrián confronted her on how she maltreated Esmeralda, as if she was fighting for Armando’s love. He asked her if she was just toying with his feelings for her, she was confused and burst out weeping, knowing not what to say.

José Armando dreamt that he was alone with Esmeralda during the carnival and that he kissed her with passionate love.